Naley - Revisited
by plague2005
Summary: Changing how Naley got back together in Season 3. It seemed after everything Nathan went through in Season 2, it was too easy for Haley to get back together with him. So I'm rewriting the season to make her work harder for it and fight for their relationship.
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes**

I recently got around to watching the entire One Tree Hill series and I loved it. However, one thing that I found to be disturbing was Season 3 Haley's return and the story angle they took. After the pain and suffering she caused Nathan in Season 2, it seemed like everyone (except Payton) was on her side telling Nathan to forgive her and move on. Lucas was even acting like Nathan was at fault for not accepting her apology and forgive her as soon as she came back which I found ridiculous.

The dialogues seem to be focused on how Nathan was the one who was pushing her away and that he wasn't supportive of her music dreams and that was why she had to make the choice of leaving him. Quite often, she says that she never gave up on them which is contradicting to Season 2. Nathan was the one who was pushing for her music career to the point of willing to sacrifice his own dreams for her. And she was the one who ended their relationship when he went after her saying he will do whatever he wants to save their marriage and she says that she rushed into it too soon. She also tells Lucas that her life was on the road.

So I found it difficult to accept the way they took Season 3 return of Haley and the relationship of Naley. I understand the writers wanting a quick Naley fix but I thought it should not have been that easy for her to return back to the life she abandoned. Therefore, my imagination went in a different angle of how Season 3 Naley goes and Haley earns her right of the love of Nathan after going through some of the pain he had to go through.

I also thought the whole Brooke/Lucas angle was a waste and unnecessary. We knew it was going to be Lucas/Peyton in the end. And having Brooke suffer through another betrayal felt too mean and Lucas became worse because he ended up making the same mistakes he did in Season 1. So I decided that the Brooke/Lucas in Season 2 ending never happened and during the summer before Season 3, Lucas and Peyton were growing close to the start of relationship. Also, Brooke did live it up as she pretended she did during the summer instead of writing letters for Lucas. So she comes back having moved on from Lucas.

Finally, I decide to change Rachel's intro from how they did it in the show. Now that there's no Brucas, there's no need for Rachel having a thing for Lucas. Instead, she has a thing for Nathan like she did in Season 4 only in my story, in Season 3 itself. So she's going to be the one creating chaos in Season 3 for Naley. And those who are fan of Chris Keller, be warned. He is not going to have a good time in this story.

Hope you'll like my view and story. Please review and give your feedback. Right now I have some foundation for how I want to take the story but I may need assistance with ideas for some of the episode fillers.

This story will focus mainly on Naley related events. Other stories will happen as it did in the episode. No changes in them.

Finally, this story will start with **Episode 3 of Season 3**. First two episode would happen as it did. Only difference was that none of Brooke/Lucas conversation happens except for casual greeting and friendly banter.


	2. 3x03 - First Day on a Brand New Planet

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own One Tree Hill. It belongs to Mark Schwahn and the CW. The dialogues I borrowed from the show belongs to the original writers. I am simply reusing their great lines into my story in the characters they created.

* * *

Lucas and Haley walks into the school towards their lockers. They had their opening tradition of the lockbox secret last night. Haley still hasn't been able to write her prediction for the New Year.

"It feels weird how people stare at you. I used to be the one everyone ignored before and now all of a sudden, everyone stare and whisper. It's very creepy." Haley said to Lucas while noticing the people around her.

"Yeah. Well, they are in awe of the celebrity in their…" Haley smacked him in the arm before he finished his sentence.

"So what's your locker number this year?"

Lucas looks at the sheet he's holding in his hand looking for his locker number. "143" he read it out loud.

"Oh. Mine's 141. Looks like this year it's alphabetical. Which means…" Haley's eyes widens in realization as she reached her locker.

Just then, Nathan closed his and looks at the pair standing in front of him. "Maybe you should have used your stage name." He tells her without showing any emotion and walks away. Haley watches his retreating back visibly upset by his remarks while Lucas gives her a comforting one handed hug.

* * *

Brooke walks outside the school and sees Haley walking nearby.

"Hey roommate. You left early this morning. I was looking for you. You know, it's the first day. You don't have to be at school on time."

"I'm usually one of those people who likes to come to school. Get all the new stuff and be ready for the New Year."

"Nerd". Brooke calls her jokingly.

"Exactly. This year however for the first time in my academic career, I am falling behind. I'll have to work twice as hard if I want to graduate this year. And with Nathan being angry with me and everybody else staring at me, it is going to be a tough year for me."

"You could always run away and join a rock tour." They turn around surprised when they realized that Peyton has joined them from behind. "Oh wait. You already did that." With that, Peyton gives a wave to Brooke and walks away from the pair.

Haley looks at Peyton while Brooke smiles uncomfortably.

"She's had a rough year. I'll talk to her." With that, Brooke walked fast towards Peyton trying to catch up to her.

Haley follows behind them when she heard a group of girls snickering at her. Their group leader, a redhead whom she had never seen in the school before was not hiding her displeasure at Haley pointing and making air quotes 'Rock Star'. Haley rolls her eyes at them and walks away.

* * *

Peyton was walking to her next class outside the school building when she heard someone walk next to her.

"Hey." Nathan said joining her in her walk into the school.

Peyton smiled at him. "What are you doing in this side of the school?"

Nathan smiled sheepishly. "P.E." He said knowing full well she won't believe him.

With an amused look, "By the way of Florida? You're dodging Haley." She said knowingly.

Nathan dropped his pretence and eased up. "Yeah. She keeps wanting to talk and I honestly don't know what to tell her." When Peyton gave him the look asking for explanation, he continued. "She wants me to tell her that we are getting back together but I'm having a hard time letting go of the past."

Peyton nodded at him understanding his predicament.

"Look. Just because she's back doesn't mean everything has to go back to how it was before. You have the right to feel hurt and you should take your time to decide what you want."

Nathan scoffs at that. "Yeah right. Tell that to your boyfriend." Peyton looks at him confused. "Lucas." Nathan clarified with a smile. Peyton smacks his arm but couldn't stop the smile from appearing in her face.

"He's not my boyfriend." She claims. Nathan gives her a knowing look this time and she turns forward embarrassed at being addressed on her feelings.

"I'll talk to him. He can side for his friend but that doesn't mean he's right all the time. And you have me in your corner." She tells him and loops her arm around his.

"Thanks Peyton. Appreciate it." Nathan tells her and they walk hand in hand towards the building.

All of a sudden, they run into the person Nathan was trying to avoid. Haley and Brooke walk right into them from the front. Haley stopped in mid-sentence of whatever she was telling Brooke and looked at the duo surprised.

Before either pair say anything, they heard a shrilling scream.

"Nathan." All four turn around to look at where the screaming call came from when a red headed girl came running in flying speed jumping on Nathan and hugging him by his neck. He held her back trying to balance himself from the assault before he can look at who it was.

"Rachel?" He said surprised when she let him go and landed back on her feet. She was giving him a wide smile while he was getting his thoughts back from the initial shock.

Haley cleared her throat. She looked very upset by the way this girl behaved with her husband. The girl turned to face Haley and that's when Haley recognized the girl as the same one who was making fun of her earlier. She felt even more confused at looked at Nathan who was still looking at this girl called Rachel.

"What are you doing here?" Nathan asked in a surprised voice.

"I go here now. I joined the seniors this year because my parents decided to move here." Rachel explained excitedly.

"Oh. That's good I guess." Nathan tells her unsure as he turned to look at Haley who was still staring at him with the unasked question in her eyes.

"We need to go Nathan. It's getting late for our class." Peyton said while pulling him away from the crowd. Rachel was still looking at Nathan and so was Brooke and Haley. Peyton dragged Nathan by his arm before there's a scene.

After Nathan and Peyton went into the building, Rachel looked at Haley and scoffed. She turned around and walked away dismissing Haley and Brooke as if they don't matter.

"What the hell just happened?" Brooke asked nobody in particular. She was in shock just like Haley was.

"I don't know." Haley replied confused. She really needed to talk to Nathan before it's too late. She doesn't like this Rachel person at all.

* * *

Peyton dragged Nathan by his arm not letting him go until they came across an empty room. She pushes him in and closes the door behind her.

"Ok. Now explain to me who the hell that was and why she is hugging you right in front of your wife?" Peyton demanded.

"Relax Peyton. She's just someone I met when I was in High Flyers." Nathan explained casually.

"Oh. She seems really friendly. Is there something I should know?" Peyton asked curiously. She still cannot shake the feeling that there may be something more to the story.

***Flashback***

"Yo Big Time, you're ready for the party yet?" Nathan's team mate Tony Battle asked walking into their dorm.

"Not sure I want to go man. I'm not in the partying mood." Nathan said dejectedly lying in his bed. He had read Haley's letter and it had brought up some of the memories he had tried to bury deep in his mind.

"Come on bro. You can't stay cooped up in here. Live it up. We are the high flyer players. Everyone wants to have a look at us. We are the elite team. So get your ass moving and let's go party." Battle said and held his hand to Nathan. Nathan gave his hand and Battle pulled him up to his feet and they both left their dorm room to the party.

When they reached the party, it was already crowded with co-eds and others. Lot of girls hanging out with the players from the camp and lot of booze flowing around. Nathan moved into the crowd taking a cup offered to him by the guy with the keg. Taking a sip from the cup, he just walked around looking for people he know so he can hang out with. His mind was not in the partying mood but he had to be the wing man for Battle who is becoming a good friend.

"Hey there handsome." Someone spoke from behind and trailed a hand over his back. He turned around to look at a good looking red head standing next to him giving a flirty smile.

"Hi." He said politely. He wasn't looking to meet anyone new. But he didn't want to be rude.

"You're just too cute to be alone here. Shall I keep you company?" The girl offered. Nathan knew what she was offering. He has met girls like her in his past life. A life before he met the girl who changed his world. The same girl who destroyed it when she chose to abandon them.

"No thanks. I'm just here with my friends." Nathan replied and started moving away.

"Oh. Someone who likes to play hard to get huh? I'm up for that. I'm Rachel by the way." The girl introduced herself.

"Nathan. Nice to meet you." He offered his hand to her as his greeting.

"Polite gentleman. It's a pleasant surprise at this day and age." She winks at him and accepts his hand.

"Listen. Before you get the wrong idea, I'm married. I have been for a while now." Nathan told her. He didn't want to give her the wrong idea or impression unintentionally.

"What? How old are you?" She asks him surprised. She wouldn't have guessed that at all. Maybe a girlfriend but definitely not a wife. He looked like someone who's in high school.

"17. I know it's a shocker but I'm not lying to you. It is the truth." Nathan told her convincingly. It's been difficult to make people believe that he is indeed married. Nobody is willing to believe that a kid in high school willingly got married to someone.

"Oh yeah. And why is there no ring in your hand then?" Rachel asked unconvinced. She still believed he's trying to play hard to get. Although the married card is not what people would use in that case.

"It's a long story. One I don't want to get into now. But look." Nathan pulls out his chain and shows her the ring. Rachel looks at the obvious wedding ring in surprise while Nathan puts it back into his shirt hiding it from obvious view.

"I'm sorry but I have to go. It was nice meeting you." Nathan said and walked away towards his team mates. He hoped that was enough to convince the girl.

Rachel stared at the retreating back of Nathan trying to figure out his mystery. _He's a high school kid who is married but wears a wedding ring in his chain instead of his finger. Not to mention he's smoking hot but he's not hitting on me and dismissing me. I must know his story._

Rachel walked next to another girl who was flirting with another basketball player in the camp. She tapped her shoulder to get her attention and nodded her head towards Nathan.

"Do you know who he is and what his story is?"

Paula the girl Rachel spoke to turned around to look in the direction Rachel was looking at. She is known as the gossiper in their school and she knows about every player in the camp.

"Oh. That's Nathan. Don't bother. Lot of girls have tried hitting on him and he never responds to any of them. Apparently he's married to some rock star girl from his town. And he's the faithful type." Paula tells Rachel exasperated. She also tried her hand at seducing Nathan only to be rejected. She gave up after realizing it's a futile attempt.

"Is he now? Interesting." Rachel said thinking. Her mind was already planning ways of tricks to seduce Nathan.

***End Flashback***

"So after that party, she understood I was married so whenever we run into each other at parties, we just talk as friends." Nathan finished explaining to Peyton.

"You may see her as just a friend Nathan but trust me when I say, she sees you as something else." Peyton told him. She knew from the way that girl behaved that she doesn't see Nathan as just a friend.

"Whatever her intentions are, after the year I had, I am nowhere in the mood for romance." Nathan told Peyton. Especially with Haley's return, Nathan's emotions are in a roller coaster to even think romantically.

"Just watch your back." Peyton gave him a friendly warning. She had a feeling this girl may be trouble and after the year Nathan had to endure, he doesn't need any more trouble.

"Thanks. I really got to go before Whitey starts jumping on my head for being late." Nathan said and went to the door opening it and leaving towards the gym.

Peyton took her stuff and left the room as well going towards her class.

* * *

Nathan walks to the classroom for his detention. He was late when he reached the gym for P.E. and Whitey decided to punish him with detention.

When he reaches the classroom, he sees that it already has another person there.

"What are you doing here?" He asked surprised. Seeing Haley in the detention room is definitely a first. She is usually the smart one and never gets into trouble. Haley turns around to look at him surprised at his presence just like he is.

"She's got detention. Just like you." Whitey answers him.

Haley's face changed when her eyesight moved from Nathan to the door. She saw the now familiar red head standing at the doorway with her own detention slip. Whitey also sees her and takes the slip from her hand.

"Get lost. You're pardoned this time." He tells her and closes the door in her shocked face. Then he turns to the couple and says "Today we're gonna allow talking. I believe you both have some catching up to do."

Nathan shakes his head and takes a seat far from Haley. Haley looks at Whitey who winks at her. She smiles at him with gratitude for creating an atmosphere for both of them. He gives her a nod and leaves the room closing it behind him.

Haley looks at Nathan's back for a while. Nathan sat there unmoving staring at the wall. Time passed by with both of them not changing their positions.

"So…" Haley said hesitantly. Nathan's head tilted a bit but he didn't turn back. "You know this Rachel girl?"

"Yeah." was the short reply from Nathan.

"Is she…" Haley was unsure how to ask the question she's dreading to ask. "Is she someone you're seeing now?" She finally blurted out what's being bothering her since the event outside the school building earlier in the day. It's why she went to coach Whitey asking him to talk to Nathan and find out if he had truly moved on.

"No Haley. Unlike you, I don't cheat on our relationship. I don't go around your back with other girls. I meant what I said when we got married and I still do." Nathan replied back harshly. He is still hurt and angry at Haley's actions and the way she questioned him fuelled his anger more. Haley looked like she's been struck by Nathan even if it's just words.

"I didn't cheat on you." Haley replied back in a softer voice.

"What do you call kissing Chris behind my back?" Nathan asked in a calmer voice but still laced with hurt and anger.

Haley had nothing she could say back to Nathan's question. She knew what she did was wrong and she really regret what she did. It was the worst mistake of her life and she wishes she could take it back. But it hurts her when Nathan throws it in her face.

"I'm sorry." It was all Haley was able to say choking up with emotions. She didn't trust she could say anything more.

They spent the rest of the detention in silence.

* * *

Lucas and Haley were walking to the school together the next day. Lucas was being her support against the treatment she was receiving around school.

"So how did detention go yesterday?" Lucas asked. He knew Haley was given detention and he was there when Whitey gave detention to Nathan. So he knew both of them would have had to face each other inside the classroom.

"Just what it was supposed to be. Torture and punishment. I was asking about Rachel and he was lashing out at me about Chris." Haley still hadn't explained what made her kiss Chris to Lucas. She didn't understand it herself and she knew Lucas will definitely not understand it.

"Yeah. He was really hurt by that." Lucas told her. He remembered his conversation with Nathan in the jail when he told him about the kiss.

"I get that." Haley told him cutting the conversation short. She didn't want to hear anymore on how much she hurt Nathan with her stupid actions.

"I'll see you at lunch. Work on your predictions." Lucas reminded her and walked away in another direction.

Haley kept walking forward noticed the same group of girls with their ring leader Rachel sitting on her way. She ignored their laughing directed at her and kept walking.

"Excuse me! Um, can I have your autograph?" Rachel asked her with a fake enthusiasm. Haley knew she was purposely goading her. She stopped walking forward but didn't turn around.

"Bitch." Rachel spat out with venom in her tone.

Haley had had enough of this girl. "You wanna say that to my face?" She asked turning around facing Rachel.

"You shouldn't have come back. Nathan was better off without you. And soon he'll see the better choices he have around here than you." Rachel replied back getting into Haley's face.

"Stay away from my husband you bitch." Haley was really pissed. She yelled at Rachel and pushed her back really hard sending her tumbling back in her feet.

Before it escalated any further, Whitey intervened between both of them.

"Hey, hey, hey, break it up. Break it up now." He ordered both of them. Rachel backed off while he kept holding Haley who was still wanting to go after Rachel.

"Fighting in school grounds. That calls for detention." Whitey tells her.

"But Coach, she started it." Haley argued her point.

"Talking back to a teacher. That's two." Whitey kept adding detentions.

"Whitey, I really appreciate what you're trying to do. But it's not working out. Nathan's not talking to me." Haley told him with disappointment. She understood Whitey is doing it for her own good but without Nathan willing to show any signs of willingness, it is a waste of both their times.

"Calling me Whitey… that's three." Whitey said back.

"Ok, I think two is enough." Haley said depressed at her situation.

"I'll see you in detention." Whitey walked away leaving her to get back to the class. _'I should have just kept walking away instead. Now I have detentions with Nathan who's going to be angry with me for the whole time'._ Haley thought to herself while walking to the class.

* * *

She got to the detention classroom before Nathan like last time. She threw her bag on the table and flopped into the chair upset with herself. Nathan walked in a few minutes later followed by Whitey who gave the same instructions as last time closing the room behind him leaving them both alone once again.

Nathan opened his backpack taking his books out. If he has to be in detention, he might as well catch up on his homework. He knew why Whitey gave him detention this time and he has no say in the matter other than dealing with it. _'Might as well make the time useful on something'._ He thought to himself.

Rumor has been spreading around the school regarding the catfight between Haley and Rachel. Nathan knew Haley does fight with her sister Taylor but this was the first time he heard of her fighting with someone else. It surprised him and he felt a little guilty that he could have been the cause of their fight. He was feeling guilty for lashing out at Haley yesterday during detention. He still was angry at her but after she started crying, he felt bad about it. No matter what, he doesn't like it when Haley cries and he was feeling guilty for being the cause of it. But he couldn't get himself to console her so he stayed rigid as he was not saying anything to her.

This time while working on his homework, he kept stealing glances at Haley. Her posture seems to indicate she's upset and still ticked off. Which if he had to admit to himself was very sexy. After some time looking at her, he thought he should break the ice.

With a chuckle, he asked. "Did you really knock out Rachel's front tooth?"

Haley surprised that he was speaking to her looked at him. "What? Where did you hear that?"

"It's all over school." He grinned at her making her feel comfortable and feel like they used to. This was like the old times before all the mess started.

"Great. Add bully to my resume now." She groans and runs a hand through her hair in frustration. "I don't know why I let her get to me but the way she was speaking made me lash out at her." She tried to explain to him.

"And you say I have a short temper." Nathan chuckles at the memory of her telling him to be calm.

"Yeah. You must have been rubbing off on me." Haley told him with a smile.

"Not sure if it's a good thing or bad." They both chuckle at that feeling the tension erase slightly. Nathan turned back towards the book he was writing. Haley on the other hand wanted to kept talking.

"I'm really sorry for all the way I hurt you Nathan." Haley told him hoping her voice conveyed her sincerity.

"I know you are. But I should get back to this." He lifts the book he was writing to indicate what he's referring to. "I don't have a tutor anymore."

Haley's small sliver of happiness dissipated when Nathan shut down their conversation and she leaned back resuming her previous position.

* * *

After going home and running into his father who told him about his intention to have Whitey fired, Nathan walked into Karen's café looking for Lucas. He was still at odds with Lucas for what he did but he knew if anyone wanted to protect Whitey other than himself, it would be Lucas. So it was time to set aside any animosity and look at the common goal.

"Oh hi Nathan. It's been a while." Karen welcomes him upon seeing him enter. Over the last year, she has grown to care for Nathan who was going through the pain of loss of the loved one. She knew exactly how it felt from her own experience.

"Yeah. Sorry I should have come by after I came back from the camp." Nathan apologises to her.

"That's ok. You must have a lot in your plate now." Karen replies kindly. Nathan just nods back as response.

"Have you seen Lucas?" Nathan asked her getting to the point.

"Oh, not for a few hours." Karen told him.

"Ok, thanks." Nathan started to leave but Karen placed her hand on his arm making him pause from turning away. He looked at her questioningly.

"Haley came back." Karen said softly. She knows it's a sensitive topic for Nathan and she needs to handle it carefully without harming it even further.

"Yeah." Nathan said quietly.

"Do you remember that day on the river court? When you told me that you would give anything to have her home?"

"Yeah. You told me to have faith." Nathan responded remembering their conversation. It was when he was hurting and wanting his wife back.

"Well, faith is believing when there's nothing else you can do." Karen told him.

Nathan gives her a soft smile and nods in response.

"She's here now." Karen said looking at his face for any reaction. Seeing nothing, she continued. "What are you going to do about it?"

Nathan looked conflicted with various emotions. He doesn't know what to tell her.

"Haley's here now. The guy she left is not though." He told her shaking his head. With her inquisitive look, he elaborated further. "After the accident, I came to the realization that spending my time waiting for her to come back was making me worse than when she left. I had to let her go in order to move on with my life." Karen nodded in understanding. She had to go through the same realization after Dan Scott left to follow his dreams which didn't include her.

"I shut my emotions down and focused on myself and then she comes back. Now I'm finding it hard to let myself open up. Sometimes it feels like we are both ourselves before she left. But then it hits me that she did indeed leave and that brings back the hurt I don't want to feel. It feels safer not to feel anything at all." Nathan explains to her. It felt good talking to her about it. Karen may be the only person who could understand what he's going through.

"But shutting down your emotions is not a good way to go through your life Nathan. Trust me when I say, that will be a difficult life for you in the end. I shut myself after your father left and except for Lucas, I did not let anyone near my heart. And now it's even more difficult to open up to people because I have gotten used to living without anyone."

Nathan nods in understanding. Karen continued. "I'm not saying to accept her back immediately or pretend like it never happened. But don't close your heart to those who care and love you. Let them in and give into the possibility that things will turn out to the better." She tells him and gives a pat in his arm to comfort him. Nathan gives her a smile and shrugs.

"If you see Lucas, can you tell him that he may want to come to the school board tonight?" Nathan told her. Karen looks at him confused.

"School board?" She questioned.

"Yeah. My dad's trying to get Whitey fired. And we both know he usually gets what he wants." And with that, he gives her a nod and leaves. Karen looks at him thinking what she can do to help Whitey.

* * *

After saving Whitey's career and going home, Nathan opened up the box he had sealed with his wedding memories. He looked at some of the items such as the sand in the bottle from the location where they got married and it brought back the memories and emotions he has been trying to suppress. However, hearing Dan suggesting it should be packed away makes him wonder if he was doing the right thing by doing exactly that. Nathan believes that the advice Dan gives him is exactly the opposite of what's right for him and this just confirms it.

He decides to go talk to Haley. They needed to talk eventually and come to a mutual understanding. There was no reason for him to drag it on unnecessarily.

He knocks on their former apartment which is now rented by Brooke and Haley. Haley comes to open the door caught surprised at his presence at the doorstep.

"Hey!" Haley said surprise evident in her voice.

"Nice place." Nathan gives her a smile. "Can I talk to you?"

Haley gives him a shrug like it was not a big deal when inside she's feeling excited at the chance to spend time with Nathan. "Sure. Let's go."

She walks out of the apartment after gathering her jacket and keys. Closed the door and they started walking in silent in the pathway towards the docks. That used to be their favourite spot where their relationship started.

After a long silence, Haley sighs and breaks the silence. "I'm glad it's you that stopped by. Living with Brooke, you never know who's going to come in for a late night booty call." They both chuckled at that. It eased their tensed situation slightly.

Then Nathan felt uncomfortable as he brought up the topic he wanted to talk to her about. "Look, um… I've been doing some thinking about us." Looking at Haley's face for reaction, he continued. "About what we're going to do, and um… I still have the annulment papers but-" Haley turns her head away sadly at where the conversation was going. So Nathan spoke quickly. "-if we get an annulment; that means that our marriage never happened. That'd be a lie. I mean, even after everything that happened, we had a lot of great times together Haley. I don't want to pretend like we didn't."

Haley looks up at him with slight hope. "Neither do I." She says softly. Nathan gave a sigh. He's making things difficult.

"So instead of an annulment, I've looked into a divorce." Nathan told her knowing how much it would hurt her. Even after everything that has happened between them, he doesn't like it when Haley gets hurt and he feels guilty when he's the one who causes it. Unable to stare at her anymore, he turns his eyes away from Haley and look towards the ground. Haley's expression turned to disbelief. She cannot comprehend what she's hearing.

"The state says we have to be separate for a year. It has already been 2 months. So there's another 10 more months to go." He tells her lamely. Haley wasn't hearing what he was telling her. She was still reeling from the shock of his last words.

"What-" Haley cannot form the words to speak. She struggles and manages to speak again. "What are you saying?" She's still trying to get her head around what Nathan's saying and what's happening at that moment. One minute it seemed like they were talking about how to go forward towards the future and then all of a sudden, it is towards separate paths.

"I'm saying that, I…" he is having difficulty now. It is difficult for both of them. "I think we should see what happens between now and then."

Haley steps towards Nathan and gets hold of his hands. "Nathan. I love you." Seeing him turning his eyes away from her, she continues. "I know we can work this out. And a year from now, things will be good for us again." She says with certainty. She believes in it completely. She has to. Her future with Nathan lies in it.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Last year, we thought we had our future together and then look how easily that changed. I don't want us to do anything like that again. So this time apart will be good for us. To know what we want for the future." Nathan told her. He was not only telling that for her sake but for his as well. He is trying to convince himself that it is the right thing to do. With Haley back, he feels like they may go back to their earlier routine and he is not sure it is what he wants yet.

Haley is emotionally numb. She cannot speak and doesn't know what she can say to convince him otherwise. It seems like Nathan had made up his mind. All she can do is hope Nathan changes his mind during that time.

"We can do one thing as we used to do." Nathan spoke after a few minutes. Haley looks up at him. He gives her a small comforting smile and speaks. "I am still in need of a tutor. So if you are up for it, I would like you to be my tutor again like you used to." Haley nodded immediately. It was the sliver of hope she needed and she's going to take it. Nathan gives her a short nod as thanks.

"So the old schedule right here?" Haley nods again. She cannot trust speaking in her current situation. Nathan gives her hand a squeeze with the hand she's still holding onto. Then he releases his hands from her and starts walking towards his mansion. Haley stands right where she is looking at Nathan's retreating back.

* * *

Back at her place, Haley writes her yearly prediction. "Nathan and I will be together again." She stares at what she wrote hoping against all hope that this is one prediction that will come true.


	3. 3x04 - An Attempt To Tip The Scales

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own One Tree Hill. It belongs to Mark Schwahn and the CW. The dialogues I borrowed from the show belongs to the original writers. I am simply reusing their great lines into my story in the characters they created.

**A/N:** Thanks a lot for the feedback and reviews. I really appreciate it. There have been both Positive and Negative feedback. I would like to reiterate that this is indeed a Naley story. So I won't split them apart. I am just creating a bit more heartache and chaos between Haley and Nathan before they get back together. That's all. But they will both be together in the end. Probably by the end of the season. I just want to make Haley fight for their relationship. She did a little bit during the draft. But that was quickly quashed. So she never had to compete for Nathan. In this story she will.

* * *

Haley and Nathan are at the docks studying early in the morning. Nathan as usual had brought two cups of coffee for both of them. Haley is going through her textbook trying to find the next part Nathan needs to look at after he's done with the one he's working on currently.

"At this pace, you can catch up on your classes in no time." Haley beams at him proudly.

"Thanks." Nathan gives her a thankful smile. "I was nervous about how I was going to pass this year and get into Duke without my grades to a decent level." He tells her sheepishly. He knew without Haley's help, he would be in big trouble.

"Oh don't worry about it. You will get into Duke and get your scholarship. It's tutor girl's solemn vow to you." Haley tells him mock-promising with her hand over her heart. They both laugh at that.

"So, are you coming for the party tonight?" Haley asked him. It's the latest social event at TRIC and with Brooke as her room-mate, it's been the talk of their topics for the past week. When they were not talking about Brooke's latest crush of course.

"I'm not sure to be honest. Partying has not been in my mind lately." Nathan told her. While it's true he attended a few parties because of Battle, he has not been feeling the same buzz he used to feel last year. It's amazing how much he has changed in recent times. And most of it he owes to Haley. Both good and bad changes.

"I hope you come. Brooke won't let me skip it and I'd rather hang around with you than get hit on by the guys Brooke brings over." Haley shudders at the thought. Brooke has been having a lot of fun in their apartment and sometimes the guy or his friend tries to hit on her. She gets repulsed by that and ends up going to Lucas' place to stay for the night.

Nathan laughs genuinely at Haley's reaction. No matter how mad he is with her, she is still adorable with her reaction as always. Then he shakes his head and starts working on his problem again. "Maybe I'll come by. Let's see." He said softly to appease her. They have been having a good day and he didn't want to make it worse. Haley nods with a smile and both of them start working on their tasks.

* * *

"So how was your date with Nathan today?" Lucas asked while stepping out of the changing room in his costume as Elvis.

Haley shakes her head no and then hands him another costume. "It was not a date." She denied. No matter how much she wished it was true, it was not a date. It was a tutor session that remained friendly. Nathan didn't make any moves like he used to do back last year.

"Give it time. It will happen." Lucas said comfortingly. He steps out in his Captain Jack Sparrow costume and Haley nods approvingly.

"So what are you going to dress as?" Lucas asked. "A belly-dancer costume with your name on it will have Nathan drooling for you." He motioned towards a mannequin with belly dancer dress.

Haley closed her eyes and sighed. "Please. I can go naked to this stupid party and it wouldn't make a difference." She said dejectedly and walked out of the store.

"Ok. Ew." Lucas grimaced at the thought and went to change so he can buy the costume.

* * *

Haley is sitting on the revolving couch playing a sad melody in her guitar. Brooke is at the table, sewing.

"New Tune?"

Haley nods slightly in agreement.

"Sounds a bit sad."

"Well, it fits the way I'm feeling."

"Aw, honey. Nathan will come around. You'll see." Brooke says sympathetically. She has been seeing Haley feeling miserable for the last week since Nathan dropped by. Haley groans in frustration and puts her guitar aside and looks at what Brooke's doing.

"You know the Devil doesn't have sequine, or feathers or… breasts for that matter."

Brooke scoffs at Haley. "Well, in my universe, she does." She sticks her tongue out childlike.

Haley stands and gets close to Brooke to inspect what she's doing. "Did you even follow the pattern?"

"No."

"Brooke." Haley raised her voice exasperated. "You have to do that!"

"Says who?"

"Says like every sewing teacher ever. Otherwise you will end up with something like…" Haley stopped mid-sentence when she saw Brooke raised what she had sewn for Haley's view.

"Like this?" Brooke raised her corset-like top proudly at Haley. She was happy with what she had done even if it was not done in the standard manner.

"That… that looks really good." Haley flustered. Brooke had surprised Haley with her sewing skills.

"Thank you. I just whipped it up." Brooke beamed in happiness. She set aside her corset and got up. "Now what are we gonna do for you? I was thinking…" Haley waved her arms in frustration and sat down again. "…sexy nurse, catholic school girl, playboy bunny." Brooke trailed off in her idea suggestions.

"Uh. No, No and forget it." Haley interrupted Brooke's train of thoughts.

"Haley. It's a costume party. You just go as sexy whatever." Brooke told her. She knew Haley is unfamiliar to the party scene still.

"Alright. Well, sexy. But not slutty." Haley said standing her ground.

"Fine." Brooke resigned. Then she let out as gasp as an idea hit her. "I have the perfect idea for your costume that will make Nathan come after you like a puppy dog."

"How about a costume that will get my man to come to this thing? You got one of those? Cause I'm not even sure if Nathan is coming or not. He wasn't sure himself today morning."

"Tell you what sista. You try on the dress I am planning for you. And I'll make sure Nathan is there to see it. Deal?" Haley nodded unconvinced. But if there's a slight hope Brooke can do what she says, then whatever dress Brooke comes up with will be worth it.

* * *

Brooke walks into the Scott residence backyard as she has done many times in the past. She knew she can find Nathan there and she was not mistaken. Nathan was at the courtyard dunking the ball into the hoop by himself.

"Well, you're gonna make my job easy this year; nothing worse than cheering for a bunch of losers." Brooke speaks to get his attention and gives a smile at him when he looks in her way. Nathan smiles back.

"Well, it's all about you, Brooke." Nathan replies in a friendly banter. Brooke grins and curtseys.

"What's up?" Nathan asks as he walks close to her.

"Are you going to the masquerade party at TRIC?" Brooke asked.

Nathan hugs the ball in his hand and gives her a shrug. "Wasn't planning on it. Why?" He asks curiously.

"Just figured it might be the perfect occasion to stop punishing your wife." Brooke said getting right to the point. She knew there's no need to beat around the bush and Nathan prefers people telling things to his face. She knew about the fallout between both brothers due to Lucas keeping things from Nathan.

When Nathan didn't say anything but looked at the ground, Brooke continued. "Haley's really hurting Nathan." At that, Nathan looked up at Brooke. "I mean, come on, how hard would it be to stop by and smile at her and tell her she looks cute?"

Nathan sighs and sits in the bench near the court.

"Harder than you think." He tells her softly. He has been playing it cool but he has been going through inner turmoil since her return and their talk. At times he feels like they have their old connection as if nothing happened. But then his mind reminds him of the pain he went through after what she did and he feels the need to protect himself from that kind of heartache again.

Brooke sits next to him and pats him in his shoulder. She can understand what Nathan was going through. She saw how he was after Haley left and she experienced similar heartbreak over Lucas and Peyton's betrayal. But she knows how genuinely sorry Haley is and she feels the need to help them mend their relationship.

"I can understand what you're going through Nathan. Truly I do. But living with Haley, I can see how much she's hurting everyday. Every time she tries to play or write a song, it ends up being a sad song. It's where her mood is lately." Nathan looks at Brooke. "Guess her talent was tied to you. You're her inspiration and her feelings about you is what she writes in her songs." Nathan averts his eye once again.

"She put you up for this?" He asked softly. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer or not.

"No. But listening to her playing sad songs all day long makes me want to slit my own wrists." She imitates the action and gives Nathan a smile when he looks at her again. "So, please Nathan, do it for me? Come to the party and talk to your wife." Nathan gives her a positive smile.

"Besides, you are going to be in for a treat after I get done with her." She smiles devilishly. "You can trust me. I'm the Devil."

"I'll think about it." Nathan said. His mind has already changed thanks to Brooke's visit. Now he needs to find a costume for himself.

* * *

Nathan was in his computer at his residence going through some of the old pictures. He was reminiscing through memories when he heard a knock on the door. He wasn't expecting anyone so he wondered who it could be. He walked to the front door and opened it.

"Hey Nathan. I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop by." Rachel said. It wasn't exactly the truth. She came all the way to talk to Nathan but she knows saying that would put Nathan in defensive mood.

"Can I come in?" She asked when Nathan stood in the doorway still surprised that she was at his house.

"Oh sure. Come in." He opened the door further letting her in. He closed it behind her.

"Nice place. Anyone home?" Rachel asked.

"No. Mom has gone out to meet with friends. Dad is not in now. Something about running for Mayor." Nathan shook his head. He cannot understand either of his parents. He thought he would have gotten out of their grip but it seems like a never ending nightmare he's living in.

"Oh yeah. I heard about that. Must be tough for you." Rachel said sympathetically. She knew Nathan and his father didn't get along from all the information she has been able to gather about him. She needs all the information she can get her hands on if she wants to get Nathan.

"Yeah. I'm rolling with it." Nathan gives her a smile. He doesn't like to be seen vulnerable except by selected people. And Rachel was not one of them.

"So I heard about the party at TRIC. I hope you're coming?" Rachel asked. It's one of the reasons she decided to pop by.

"Yeah. I have to. It's organized by Peyton and Brooke. If I don't show up, you'll find my body in the river tomorrow." Nathan joked and chuckled. Rachel laughed along with him.

"Save me a dance then. I'm planning to be the best dressed girl in there tonight." She said confidently.

"I have no doubt. I'll see you there." Nathan said. Rachel looked around and saw the bag Nathan had left behind where he bought his costume for the night. The label of the costume shop was visible and Rachel noticed it. She walked out of the door with a new idea on what she can do.

Nathan closed the door behind her. Rachel walked off the porch and took her mobile phone out.

"It's Rachel here. I need you to find someone's phone number for me. It's urgent. I'll pay double of what I usually do if you get me the number in the next hour." She told to whoever she was talking to.

* * *

It was evening and TRIC was getting crowded by all the people in costumes having fun. Haley and Brooke walk up the stairs. Brooke was dressed in her killer sexy devil look that was catching the attention of most males around them.

"Are you sure he's coming?" Haley asked Brooke again. Eventhough Brooke assured her many times already that Nathan was coming, Haley still doubts it.

"For the hundredth time, yes he's coming. Now stop fidgeting and let's go find him and my date." Brooke told her. She accepted a date with another senior from school to come to the party. He's her latest interest in her long list of friendly contacts.

They walked around looking for their respective target partners when they run into Lucas.

"Haley? Who are you supposed to be?" Lucas said in surprise. He didn't expect Haley to be dressed the way she was. It was the return of the old bookworm Haley with a change. She is dressed in her old woolen hat she used to wear often and her top was what she used to wear that hugs her upper body but covers it mostly. And she was wearing a matching jeans. But the top and jeans were custom tailored by Brooke to the point that it's very fashionable. Instead of the old simple look, the new top looked like a fashion design yet gave the simple and elegant look.

"I'm Haley. The tutor girl." She gave a sheepish smile. It sounds corny but it was the truth. She didn't feel right to be dressing up as someone else and she wanted to remind Nathan who she truly is.

"You look like yourself but at the same time, totally different." Lucas marveled.

"Thanks." Haley blushed a little. She doesn't do well taking compliments even if it's from Lucas. "It's Brooke's handiwork. I just hope Nathan shows up to see me like this. Have you seen him around?" She asked hoping Lucas had run into him.

"No. Not like he will come talk to me if he did see me." Lucas said. While he didn't care about his relationship with Dan, he was really upset for the loss of his relationship with Nathan. They were bonding as brothers before he went to High Flyers and because of his own actions, he lost his relationship with Nathan. He had tried to re-connect after his return but Nathan was not willing to.

"I hope you guys get back to the way you were before I left. You both are brothers and you should get back to being that." Haley told him. She really hopes everything will go back to the way they were before she left.

"Let's see. Right now I don't think he needs me pissing him off. Let's get your relationship sorted first." Lucas said with a timid smile. Haley smiled back in gratitude. "Anyways, I need to find Peyton. I'm supposed to meet her at the stairs. See you both later." Lucas gave her his goofy smile like a guy in love and left.

Brooke and Haley were walking around mingling with others. Brooke found her date for the night but she didn't want to abandon Haley at her current state. Haley was starting to panic that she still couldn't find Nathan around and at the moment, Brooke was not so sure either. So she told her date that she will meet up with him later and moved around with Haley.

"You look amazing." A soft voice from behind startled them both. They turned around to find a guy dressed as Batman standing there. Haley instantly knew who it was from his voice and his piercing cerulean blue eyes.

"Nathan?" She asked surprised.

"Holy cow Batman. You scared the crap out of me." Brooke whacked him in the arm for good measure. Then gave him a quick hug. "Good to see you Nate." Then she turned to walk away towards her date who was hanging around the bar waiting for her. "I'll see you both later. My date is waiting for me. Ciao." She waved and walked away. Nathan and Haley chuckled at her antics.

"So Dark Knight huh?" Haley asked. This was new information to her. She didn't know Nathan likes comic books or comic book characters.

"Yeah. Been a fan of Batman since childhood. Used to buy the comics as a kid." Nathan said. It's not a side he usually reveals to most people.

"I wouldn't have guessed. It suits you though. You look very sexy and mysterious." Haley said automatically and then blushed.

"Umm… Thanks." Nathan said awkwardly. They were both silent for a moment just standing next to one another.

"I meant what I said." Nathan told her softly after a few minutes has passed. Haley turned her head to look at him. "You really look amazing. Reminds me of the old times when you came to the beach house party with Lucas." Nathan said remembering the old memory.

"Yeah. That's kind of how I wanted to dress up today. Back to being my old self." Haley said softly. Inside she was feeling giddy at the thought that Nathan was finding her attractive and not like a loser. She hoped he got the underlying signal that she was back to her old self that he fell in love with.

"I'm going to go get a beer. Do you want me to get you a drink?" Nathan asked politely.

"Err… No thanks. Remember what happened when I drank? Don't want a repeat performance today." Haley shuddered. Nathan chuckled at her response. "I know that. Just wondered if you want some soft drink to drink." He explained. Haley reddened a bit from embarrassment. Then she recovered and said "Sure, whatever is available." Nathan nodded and went towards the bar.

"Looks like things are going well." Brooke said from behind Haley as soon as Nathan was out of earshot distance. Haley turned back to look at Brooke grinning at her.

"Were you spying on me?"

"No. Ok maybe. I was just watching both of you pretending not to look at one another while sneaking glances whenever you can. It's cute to watch. Besides, my date turned out to be a boring piece of ass. He may have a hot body but he doesn't have the brain cells to carry on a conversation." Brooke huffed.

"I'm glad I can be your entertainment for the night. Now go have some fun for yourself." Haley lightly gave her a push.

"You're just trying to get rid of me before Nathan comes back so you can have him all for yourself." Brooke said knowingly as she walked away. Haley gave her a smile not denying the accusation.

After waiting for a few minutes and still not seeing Nathan return back, Haley walked towards the bar looking for Nathan. She saw Peyton and Lucas standing near a table talking to one another. More like flirting from what she can tell. She smiled at the scene and kept walking towards the bar. She wanted to go say hi to her friends but she knew Peyton was still upset with her and she didn't want to ruin Lucas' night.

When she reached the bar area, what she saw was not what she was expecting. Nathan was holding onto a beer in his hand near the counter having a very comfortable chat with Rachel. Rachel who had dressed up as a cat burglar in a costume that's very skin tight and revealing. Haley hates to admit it but she was looking very sexy and she was cozying up with Nathan at the bar. From where she was, it looked like a guy dressed as Batman and a girl dressed as Catwoman were flirting.

Haley turned around and started to walk away. She didn't want to be an observer to her husband making moves on some other girl.

"Hey. Are you ok?" Lucas asked her when he saw her walking away like a zombie.

"No. I thought maybe Nathan and I are getting back together and for a moment I thought everything was going to be ok. But after watching him flirting with Rachel, I don't think it's going to be happening." Haley choked. She didn't want to break down in front of everyone and she wants to get away from there at the moment.

"It may not be what it looks like Hales. Nathan would not do that to you. He loves you." Lucas tried to convince his best friend. He saw firsthand how brokenhearted Nathan was when Haley left and he doesn't believe that a love that strong could go away just because of some heartache.

"Well, it looked like she was hitting on him and he was flirting back. I just need to be alone for now Lucas." Haley said and walked away.

Haley went to a dark corner away from the crowds and sat down for a while. She didn't feel the mood to be celebrating. She just let herself get numb in the music for a while.

Nathan walked back from the bar with Haley's drink in his hand. The guy had ran out of root beer so it took longer than necessary. While waiting, he was surprised by Rachel. She was wearing a skin tight costume that was revealing all her curves. Nathan has to admit that she had a very sexy body. And if he was his old self, he would have gone for her by now. But after his attempt with Taylor last time, he realized that his heart was still stuck on Haley. And until he deals with that, some other girl whether it be for pleasure or relationship won't do anything for him.

So he kept his polite conversation with Rachel. Eventhough she was obviously hitting on him, he do find her to be very pleasant to talk to. So he kept the chit chat casual until Haley's root beer arrived and he made his way back. But when he reached their spot, she was nowhere to be found. He thought maybe she ran to the bathroom so he waited for a while. After some time, he gave up and went to Brooke to ask her if she has seen Haley. When she said she didn't, he decided to go home as well. When he was on his way, he ran into Rachel again. She asked him for a dance and he tried to say no explaining he's not a good dancer. But Rachel didn't seem like she's going to let him off without a dance so he decided to oblige her. He followed her to the dance floor among the rest of the people.

* * *

After sitting in the corner collecting her thoughts, Haley decided to go find Peyton. She needed someone to talk to and normally Peyton is the one she goes to if she needed to talk about Nathan. Lucas wouldn't understand and Brooke meaning well would try to intervene. Peyton is the one who as the ex-girlfriend may understand what she's going through.

She ran into Lucas and Peyton very soon. They were resting with their drinks at their after a round of dancing in the floor. They ran into Mouth on the dancefloor where Peyton &amp; Mouth decided to do an impromptu dance sequence together. After the performance, they both got back to their table. They seem to be in a good mood but Peyton's reaction changed pretty quickly when she noticed Haley approaching them. She started to make a move to be somewhere else under the assumption Haley was coming to talk to Lucas but Haley's voice stopped her.

"Peyton. Wait." Haley called out. She saw Peyton trying to go away and Haley wanted desperately to talk to her.

Peyton stopped and looked at Haley but didn't say anything and just stared. Haley walked up to Peyton trying to figure out how to start the conversation. When neither one of them spoke, Lucas cleared his throat.

"Uhh… I'll go get myself a refill." He said to no one in particular and walked away.

"You look great." Haley said pointing to Peyton's costume. It was a dark angel costume that looked really nice on Peyton. "Are you talking to me yet?" Haley asked.

"Not really but I guess you are talking to me." She said dismissively and gave a stiff smile.

"I'm sorry I should have been in touch with you. But with everything that's going on with Nathan, I really need my girlfriend to talk to me."

"Really? You come back after months of being away and expect things as it was? After everything you did to Nathan. The guy you didn't even bother to call and talk to?" Peyton said raising her voice a little.

"I'm not pretending anything." Haley said annoyed at always being put on defensive. "And I did call Nathan."

"Right. After him going after you all the way and you turned him down." Peyton scoffed. "You couldn't even bother to come see him after his accident."

"He told me to stay away. What was I supposed to do?" Haley yelled back frustrated.

"Should that have stopped you if you were truly in love with him? If it was someone I cared about and I found out they had an accident, I wouldn't have stayed back even if they begged me to. Nothing would have stopped me from coming and seeing them. I guess that's the difference between the old Haley I knew and the new Haley who went away. Old Haley cared about people and not just herself." Peyton said harshly. She was not holding back. Haley wanted to talk and Peyton was telling her the truth to her face.

"Nathan gave me an ultimatum. And I had to make a choice. He didn't understand my passion or need for music. I had to go for it myself or I would have regretted it." Haley said softly. Her voice had gone down after Peyton's outburst because of the truth in it.

"Well, now you have to live with it. And Nathan understood your passion and need. He was the one who bought you your keyboard with the money you guys saved. He was the one who sent your tape to me so you can shine in the light. He was the one who decided not to go to High Flyers so you can go after your dream. And then you chose to cut him off when you went in search for it with another guy whom you felt the connection with." Peyton told her.

Haley had nothing to respond to when Peyton finished. She kept looking at the floor listening and tearing up.

"The Nathan I was with was a selfish person who didn't care about anyone but himself. But I saw him change in the last year. And most of it was because of you. It was the Haley I liked and a Nathan I was proud to be friends with. Then you decided to crush him when you decided to go in search of your dream. I don't blame you for wanting to find yourself. I blame you for abandoning Nathan in search of your dream. I blame you for destroying Nathan and ignoring the pain you caused. And now you come back and say sorry and expect everything to be forgiven. It doesn't work that way. Neither with Nathan or me." Peyton told her and walked away.

Haley was rooted at the spot still looking at the floor. She never had to face angry Peyton before and everything she said was ringing in her ears. She was tearing up again and she was surprised she still had some left after all the crying she's being doing lately.

After some time, she decided to go in search of Nathan. She needed to find him. She needed to talk to him and see if he's as angry as Peyton. Because right now she doesn't feel like her former friend will ever forgive her and if Nathan felt the same way, she wasn't sure how he would as well. But a tiny part of her still held onto the hope that he may forgive her.

She looked around the bar and she didn't see him. She then went to the place they were standing earlier and he wasn't there either. She walked around the place until she reached the dance floor. At first she didn't see him but then she saw his black cowl noticeable over others. She pushed the dancers near her to create a path towards him. As she got near, she noticed he had his back towards her but he wasn't alone. There was a girl's arms around his neck and from the costume of the girl standing in front of him dancing very closely, she knew it was Rachel. She hesitated for a moment but then got determined to talk to him and clear things out. She walked forward right around the time they were turning around sideways. Just when she got close, Rachel pulled Nathan's head towards her and they both started kissing. Haley stopped immediately looking at the scene unfolding in front of her. A part of her cannot believe what was happening and another part of her was crumbling to dust, and she knew that part was her heart. She slowly started to back away before she breaks down in front of everyone. Once she got away from the crowd, she took off running.

In the rush of leaving TRIC, Haley didn't see the two pair of eyes staring back at her. One of the eyes belongs to Rachel and the other belongs to the man in batman costume. Eyes that doesn't look anything like Nathan's. Both of them smile at Haley's reaction as if their goal was achieved.

* * *

Lucas knocked on Haley's apartment when he reached there. After hearing from people at TRIC that she left the place in a hurry, he went after her. He noticed how upset Peyton was and he can guess how their talk could have gone. While he can see where Peyton is coming from, Haley is still his best friend and he will be always in her side. So he's stuck in the middle of both of them and trying to bring peace between them. Right now it seemed Haley needed him the most so he chased after her to her place.

"Haley. Open up. It's me." Lucas called out when he realized she was not opening the door after knocking several times and ringing the bell.

He heard someone moving on the other side of the door and then the door was unlocked. But Haley didn't open the door fully so Lucas pushed it open. He found his friend sitting in the couch red eyed from crying and holding onto a pillow tightly as if her life depended on it.

"Peyton told me what happened between you two." Lucas said softly and sat in the couch near Haley's feet.

Haley didn't say anything. She just sniffled and kept quiet. She knew Lucas thought she was crying over what Peyton said. While it is one of the factors, the bigger issue is still something she's trying to process herself. She couldn't find the words to tell it to Lucas.

"She's still dealing with her issues with her mother. And she &amp; Nathan bonded while you were gone so I guess it has put her in a bad mood. She'll come around. I'm sure of it." Lucas said comfortingly. He knew Peyton and Haley had become friends last year and he wishes them to get back to how they were before.

"She didn't say anything wrong." Haley whispered. "I guess I did abandon Nathan to chase my own dreams. Even you said it. By the time I realized my mistake, it seems to be too late." Haley continued.

"He'll come around. He just needs time to process you're back."

"I don't think so. I may have lost him for good." Haley said dejectedly. Any slight hope she had was quashed by what she saw in the dance floor.

"Haley. I have to tell you something." Lucas said. Haley looked at him questioningly. "I didn't want to tell you this because it will really hurt you but now I think it may make you understand why you need to not lose hope and wait for Nathan to come around." Lucas was being mysterious and Haley was getting nervous at how he's not coming straight to the point.

"When Nathan crashed the car in the track…" Lucas trailed unsure if he should continue or not. After a moment, he did. "…it wasn't an accident." Haley's eyes widened at the implication. "He never came out and said it but Toni said that the way he drove, he aimed for the wall purposely." Lucas said.

"Oh my god." Halley uttered in shock.

"He was in a bad place at that time. Moody and angry at everyone, acting out his pain on those around him. He must have for a moment thought it was easier to end it all." Lucas explained. Haley shivered at the thought of what might have happened if he didn't survive. He would have died thinking she didn't love him back. "When he woke up, he was calling for your name." Lucas said.

"And I wasn't here for him." Haley whispered. Peyton was right. She should have come back even if Nathan told her not to. Whether he wanted or not, she should have been there for him.

"Well, you're here now. He closed up pretty soon after the accident. I guess it was his way of moving forward. So give him some time to open up again." Lucas said comfortingly.

Both friends sat in silence taking in the recent revelations.

* * *

**A/N:** So who's the mystery person that was kissing Rachel if it was not Nathan? I'm pretty sure most of you can guess it. Will have to write the next chapter soon. Please give me your feedback and reviews. Would really like to know what you guys think. It helps me figure out which path to take in my story.

I also need a song suggestion. I'm not sure if in my story, Naley will be together by episode 15 (when Haley performs on stage). So as a backup, I wanted to find a song that would fit Haley's situation. I may even introduce the song before that episode. I'm not that into female singers so I'm having trouble picking up the right choice. Currently I'm thinking **_Carrie Underwood's I Told You So_**. The lyrics seem to fit Haley quite well. But wondering if anyone else have a better suggestion.


	4. 3x05 - A Multitude of Casualties

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill. It belongs to Mark Schwahn and the CW. The dialogues I borrowed from the show belongs to the original writers. I am simply reusing their great lines into my story in the characters they created.

**A/N:** First of all, thanks a lot _**rachtree**_ for your constant support and feedback. Really appreciate it. And _**tiff**_ for a great song suggestion. It is quite suited for Naley but the lyrics weren't strong enough as Carrie Underwood's. However, because I liked it and felt like it matched Naley, I'm going to use it into another scene I added on this story. Keep reading. And _**sasha**_, yes there will be Baley friendship in this story. I really like their friendship too. So Haley's support will be Lucas and Brooke while Nathan's support will be Peyton as I found Nathan and Peyton as friends very interesting. Too bad show didn't use them much after early Season 3. And as for your song suggestion, I liked it but didn't feel Naley in it. But I am adding it to my playlist.  
This chapter is when they have the fistfight and for different reasons than from the show. Read on and review please. Last chapter had very few reviews.

* * *

It was the next morning after the masquerade party at TRIC. Nathan managed to come for their daily tutoring session and Haley was also there. Nathan was working on his problem in math while Haley was sitting in front of him. Haley is really agitated to be there as she's not sure if she can handle being there that morning. She kept going through the book she was pretending to read and kept turning the pages forcefully. Nathan looked up when he heard the rustling of the pages.

"Are you alright?" Nathan asked her concerned. She was not acting herself that morning ever since he arrived. He didn't want to pry but now it seems to be a matter of concern. Haley was never careless with her books. Infact she's the one who insists on taking care of the books.

"I'm fine." Haley said. She couldn't hide her emotions from showing in her voice. She hoped Nathan didn't notice it.

"You're not fine Hales. You're ripping into the book like it owes you something." Nathan chuckled at her pouting look. "Come on Hales. Tell me." He asked earnestly.

Haley puffed out the air she's been holding unknowingly. After her talk with Lucas last night, she thought she should keep quiet about what she saw and not confront Nathan. She felt guilty to cause so much pain to the person she loved with all her heart. So she decided not to force him to forgive her but let him come to her in his own terms. She will wait until then and if it ends up she loses him, she will bear the pain so he can be happy. But the way Nathan was looking at her right now and asking genuinely makes her confused. She decided to throw her decision into the wind and ask him straight.

"I thought we were going to try and work on our relationship together." She started. Nathan immediately knew what she was talking about and sat straight tensed. "I am really trying Nathan but I need you to try as well." She told him.

"I am trying. Isn't that what we're doing? Doing schoolwork like we used to and hang out with friends?" Nathan asked confused. He thought maybe she's expecting more and he's not sure he's ready for that yet.

"Yeah. Sure. But it doesn't help when you go around flirting with Rachel and trying to move on with her." Haley said visibly upset.

"I wasn't flirting with her. She's just a friend whom I got to know when I was at High Flyers. That's all." Nathan said. He's not sure where Haley got the idea he was flirting with Rachel or anyone. This whole conversation is out of the blue.

"I saw you kissing her last night." Haley said as a matter of fact getting straight to the point.

"What? Kissing her last night?" Nathan asked genuinely lost.

"I was waiting for you to bring me my drink and then I saw you flirting with her. Then I catch you both making out in the dance floor." Haley said with her voice raising.

"First of all, the bartender delayed making your drink so I was waiting for it at the bar. I ran into Rachel there and when I returned back to you with your drink, YOU were gone. Then Rachel and I danced before I left." Nathan explained. "I don't know where you got the idea we were kissing."

"I don't know what's worse. The fact that you kissed Rachel while we're trying to save our marriage or you lying about it to my face." Haley told him. She didn't believe his version of events. While he admits to being in the dance floor with Rachel, he's pretending that he didn't kiss her. Which only makes her wonder if it was more than just kissing and that's why he's lying about it. The thought makes her sick to her stomach.

"Believe what you want. I'm done trying to explain myself to you. Not that I have to." He got up and started packing his books. Haley looks at him shocked at his response and refusal to admit what she saw. When he started walking away, she called back. "Wait. Where are you going? Stay and let's talk about this."

"No Haley. I'm done. I am not the one who went and kissed someone else in this marriage. And if I did, I wouldn't have any reason to lie about it. So I'm walking away before I say anything else." He said and walked away fast. Haley looked flabbergasted at his conviction that he didn't kiss Rachel. A part of her thought and hoped that Nathan was indeed telling the truth and she was mistaken. But another part of her kept replaying what she saw last night and that is the part that ended up winning her inner debate.

* * *

Nathan reached school still in a bad mood after the morning he had with Haley. After the party, he thought they were getting to a good place. But today's morning shattered that idea to pieces. Haley's accusations riled him up especially seeing how she was the guilty one of the accusations she's throwing at him. He knew Rachel had a thing for him but it was not a two way street. And just because she liked him doesn't mean he will avoid her and not treat her as a friend. Other than Battle, she was the friend he had at High Flyers. He's not willing to lose that over Haley's suspicions.

After hearing from his Vegas that Whitey was looking for him, he went to the gym and stood at Whitey's office entrance.

"You wanted to see me Coach?" Whitey turned from the whiteboard towards Nathan when he heard Nathan.

"Nathan. Good timing. Come in." Nathan took a few steps inside and got close to the desk in front of the whiteboard Whitey was staring at.

"Look at this." Whitey pointed to the whiteboard. Nathan looks at the sketches of gameplay Whitey had drawn. "Triangle offence. It all runs through you." Nathan gives a smile in appreciation and nods.

"I'm ready to do whatever is necessary coach." He said confidently. He knew this year was going to be his year. The year when he can prove himself to not just the scouts but everyone else. And this will be the year he outgrows from the shadows of his father's reputation and career.

"I know you are." Whitey smiles and pauses thinking how to phrase it next. "You know it may not come as a surprise but…" he reaches into the box next to him and takes out Nathan's uniform and throws it to Nathan. "…I'm making it official. I'm making you the captain of this year's squad."

Nathan looks at the jersey surprised. He knew he had the talent and skills to be the captain. But Whitey quite often seemed to favour Lucas. And he wasn't sure he would be getting the captainship as he once thought. "I don't know what to say."

"There's nothing to say. You've earned it." Whitey tells him.

"In that case, I promise to do whatever it takes to get you that championship this year." Nathan promises.

Whitey laughs when he heard Nathan's vow. "Nathan, I appreciate the sentiment but if we do get that far, the trophy belongs to the team and not just me. Team Unity. That's the captain's responsibility." He pats Nathan in the arm before leaving the office.

Nathan stood there with the jersey that had the "C" symbol stitched as proof that he's the captain. He touched it slowly as if it's an illusion that could fade away anytime. After taking a few minutes to let the information sink into his head, he smiled. Things are changing in his life for the better.

* * *

After her morning argument with Nathan, Haley needed some way to relax. She always found music to be relaxing and since she didn't have any classes to attend at that time, she decided to stroll into the record store and look at the new releases. She was browsing through the latest releases when she came across a CD released by Chris Keller. She pulled it out and noticed the album titled "Keller Instinct". She was looking at the CD lost in her thoughts and memories of her on-the-road trip and the path not taken. She gets pulled out from her thoughts all of a sudden when someone pulled the CD she was holding out her hands.

"If you want, I can autograph it for you." Chris told her with a smirk holding the CD in his hands.

"God!" Haley lets out the breath she was holding at the sudden shock.

"I knew you'd be happy to see me. No need to thank god for it." He told and gave her a wink.

"I wasn't thanking." Haley said briskly and started to go around him out of the store. But Chris moved in her way blocking her path.

"So how's married life?" He asked like he's chatting casually.

Haley looked away from him for a minute. She didn't want this today after the morning she had. She wanted to relax. Not stress even more. "What're you doing here, Chris?"

"Truthfully, I came to Tree Hill to ask you to make music with me again."

"Huh?" Haley looked at him astonished like he's lost his mind. "Are you kidding me?"

"Come on. You know Chris Keller don't…" he stopped finishing the sentence at Haley's glare. He knew she was being serious.

"Sorry. Old habit. You and I made great music together before. Why not do it again?"

"Are you out of your mind?" Haley asked him shocked. "Do you remember what happened last time?"

"Yeah. It wasn't easy but we made it work before. And now that all the crap is over…"

"That crap is my marriage Chris. And it is definitely not over." Haley said with conviction.

"That's not what I heard in the streets." Haley looked at him reproachfully. "I'm just saying what I heard." He held up his hand as a sign of surrender. "Come on. Me and you like old times. We connect together more than you do in your short-lived marriage to Nathan."

"Chris. I'm warning you." She said threateningly. He was really making her angry.

"Be honest to yourself Haley. You have talent and we create great music together. You thought coming back to Tree Hill will salvage your marriage. But everyone says it's over and Nathan has moved on. So are you holding onto a false hope in your fictional marriage that will end up nowhere or shall we work together and achieve your dreams?"

Haley kept quiet and not respond. While what Chris told was hurtful, a part of her wondered if there was any truth in it. Maybe she's holding onto a dream where Nathan and she will get back together. When in real, he has already moved on with Rachel.

"Call me when you make your decision." Chris said and walked out the store leaving Haley behind lost in her thoughts again.

* * *

Nathan was walking to his next class when he ran into Haley. He was being congratulated by his team mates for most of the day and he had been feeling elated. He had nearly forgotten about the fight he had with Haley until he ran into her which dampened his mood.

"Hi" Haley said as soon as she saw him.

"Hey." He said and tried to walk briskly away.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Haley said quickly following him. Nathan stopped and turned around to look at her with a cold stare. Haley knew that was all she was going to get so she has to work with it.

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry." Haley said getting straight to the point. Nathan looked at her surprised. He wasn't expecting that. "I shouldn't have come at you like that today morning. What you do is your business and I should not have questioned you about it." Haley elaborated. Nathan's surprise dimmed a little.

"So you still don't believe me then." He stated with an even voice not showing his disappointment.

"It's not like that." Haley denied. "I do want to believe you. But I'm having trouble with what I saw and what you tell me." She explained her side hoping Nathan can understand where she's coming from.

"Whatever Haley. I have a lot of things going for me today. I don't want to argue with you on this matter anymore." He told her.

"Oh. Anything good?" She asked curiously. Nathan had a glint in his eye and she wondered what it could be.

"Yeah. Whitey officially promoted me to the team captain for this season." He told her proudly. He has come to accept it as reality after a while.

"Oh Nathan. That's great." Haley said excited for him. She jumped on him and gave him a hug quickly. Nathan was surprised at first but he returned it after taking a moment to compose himself. It had been a while since he and Haley had any kind of physical contact like that. Haley let go of him after realizing what she had done on impulse. She blushed in embarrassment while Nathan gave her a disarming smile showing it was ok.

"This is going to be a great year for you. You will surely win the championship. I'm guaranteeing that right now." Haley said that confidently. She believes in Nathan and his ability and with him as the team leader, he will win the championship no matter what.

"I hope so. I promised Whitey I would try. Just have to live up to it I guess." He told her. They both smiled at one another feeling better about their situation.

"I was thinking…" Nathan said after a moment of comfortable silence. Haley looked at him expectantly. "you should get back to your music Hales. And you should really focus on it right now. I have my basketball and the championship this year. You should have your own thing too." He told her. Haley looked at him wondering if this was a weird coincidence or some kind of trick fate is pulling on her.

"Funny. It was what Chris was telling me today morning." She informed Nathan.

"Chris?" Nathan looked at her confused. _'Where did he come from?'_ He wondered.

"Yeah. Colour me surprised. I didn't even know he was coming and he ambushed me asking me to make music with him." She shook her head at the ridiculous request.

"Oh." It was all Nathan said. In his mind, a lot of thoughts and questions were running. _Should he feel threatened? Is he going to lose Haley again? Will she leave again like she did before? Is it worth fighting for in the first place?_

But he decided to keep his thoughts and doubts to himself. This may be a chance that would give him a clear choice once and for all.

"I think you should work with him." Nathan told her. She looked at him disbelieving what she just heard. She was expecting a livid Nathan getting ready to pummel Chris. And she was prepared to stop him from doing that. But this calm Nathan telling her to do what Chris suggested is definitely not what she expected.

"You What?" She asked astonished.

He shrugs and said "He's good for your music Haley, and you deserve to be great. Maybe this is what you need to focus on now."

"Nathan, working with Chris nearly killed our marriage." Nathan grimaced when she said that. "Do you remember how jealous you got?" She asked him.

"I do. And that's why I am suggesting this. I need to be able to trust you again Haley." He tells her. "Last time when you worked together, you developed feelings for him. If you work together again and end up having feelings for him once again, then we both will have a clear understanding of where we stand as a couple." Nathan explained. Haley shook her head not believing what she's hearing.

"Nathan. This is ridiculous. Are you testing me?" She asked already knowing the answer.

"Call it what you want. This is about me being able to trust you and you knowing who you want while working on your music."

"Nathan, I told you before. I have no feelings towards Chris. I didn't know what I was feeling last time but while on the road, I knew for sure that my heart belongs only to you. And there was no place for Chris or anyone else in there." Haley pleaded hoping it will be enough to convince him.

"You say that now Haley, but your actions spoke louder than words last time. I need to be able to get back the trust you lost by your actions. If you are sure you won't have feelings for him at all, what's the harm in working with him on your music?" Nathan asked her. She had no answer to that. She was afraid that it may split them apart further than where they are now. But it is Nathan who's asking her to do it. And if she doesn't, he may come to the conclusion that she's afraid that she may have feelings for Chris still but just denying it.

"I'll think about it." That was all she was able to tell him at that moment. She still needs to wrap her mind around the idea and be sure before she say she will.

"Thank you. Now I must go. I'm getting late for my class." He said and walked away.

* * *

Haley was lying down in her couch after school working on her trigonometry. She wanted to keep her mind occupied and math always helped her do that. Music was reminding her of her impending decision regarding Chris and she wanted to forget about that for a while atleast.

"Hey friend!" Brooke called out cheerily as soon as she entered their apartment. She plopped into the sofa in front of the couch where Haley was at.

"Hey tigger. Had a good session?" Haley knew Brooke had a cheerleading tryout today. And from Brooke's reaction, it must have gone good.

"It depends. I have good news and bad news. Except the good news makes the bad news pointless. So, I have good news." Brooke told her excited.

"Ok. What's the bad news?" Haley asked knowing Brooke is trying to avoid talking about the bad news on purpose.

"Party pooper." Brooke pouted. "You won't believe who showed up for the cheerleading tryout today." She said mysteriously letting out a huff like she's still steamed off.

"Who?" Haley asked curiously. If someone had riled up Brooke this much, it must be someone she really dislikes.

"That two faced slut bimbo Rachel." Brooke said with her voice laced with anger.

"What?" Haley was shocked. She wasn't expecting that. She put her books down and turned her full attention to Brooke.

"Yeah. Imagine my surprise when she showed up in her skimpy outfit looking like a tramp." Brooke huffed. "I wanted to say no but Peyton pointed out that she was a skilled dancer."

Haley can't believe what she's hearing. Not only was Rachel attempting to join the cheerleading squad, Brooke is considering giving her a position in her team.

"Tell me you didn't let her in." Haley asked desperately.

"I didn't have any choice. All the other girls were clumsy and horrible and out of everyone, she was the only one who had the skills. Probably learned it from her stripper days." Brooke said apologetically.

"Brooke." Haley shouted. "She's already making her moves on Nathan and now you're making it possible for her to be with him all the time." Haley said exasperated. Brooke didn't know about the possible kiss Nathan may have had with Rachel. But she knew well enough about how Rachel was always making her moves on Nathan.

"I'm sorry Haley. With Peyton voting for her, I was outnumbered. But that's when I came up with the brilliant idea." Brooke said excited.

"What is it?" Haley asked suspiciously. _'Possibly running over Rachel with Peyton's car so she can't join the cheerleading club'_ Haley hoped in her mind.

"You should join the cheerleading squad too." Brooke said and sat back waiting for Haley to be overjoyed with the news.

"What?" Haley asked surprised. That wasn't what she was expecting. "Are you out of your mind? I'm a born clutz."

"You'll be fine. You did great in last year's tournament when you helped us out. All you have to do is the same this year permanently." She said delighted that her idea was really great and foolproof.

"I don't know Brooke. I just… I think that if I join the squad, Nathan would see it as some, like, pathetic attempt to be close to him. He would think of me like Rachel." Haley said dejected.

Brooke frowned at the response Haley is having. She expected her to be elated like she is. But Haley is being all negative instead.

"Ok first, you're his wife. Rachel is a slut. Not the same. And It seems to me like worrying about what Nathan thinks is pathetic is actually pretty pathetic. This is something you should do with me. Your room mate. We will have fun together." Haley shook her head unconvinced.

"Ok fine. Did I mention that Nathan's very often shirtless at practice?" She said. As she expected, Haley looked at her with annoyance. "You know, hot, sweaty and… bulging in all the right places." She gave an evil smile noticing Haley's annoyance grew. She was succeeding. "All the girls notice. I'm sure Rachel will too." She gave a shrug like she didn't care. "OK, see ya." She said and pretended to walk away.

Before she walked long, she got whacked in her ass with a pillow by a very annoyed Haley. Brooke turned back and looked at Haley triumphantly knowing she had planted the seed and it will grow into a tree very soon. She can expect Haley to show up for the opening ceremony. Her scheming doesn't fail her normally and it wouldn't this time as well.

* * *

Haley was still confused about all the decisions she had to make. It has been a stressful day for her. Starting with the fight she had with Nathan to Chris' reappearance and Brooke's suggestion, she is being asked to make decisions. And she needed someone to talk to. Seeing how Brooke or Peyton won't be much of a help and Nathan being the way he is, Haley went to the one person she could trust and give sound advice. She knocked on the door of Lucas' home waiting for him to open up.

"Hey Hales. Come in." Lucas said once he opened the door. Haley walked in and started going to his room.

"Is something wrong?" He asked once he followed her to his room. He can tell after all this years when Haley is struggling with something.

"No. Yes. No. I don't know." Haley said confused. "It's been a rough day and I need someone to talk to." She said.

"Oh well, you've come to the right place. I'm here to listen." He said and sat in his bed patting the space next to him. She gave a grateful smile and sat in the space next to him. She took a minute to compose herself and tried to phrase her thoughts properly.

"I ran into Chris today." She said first. That was the first matter she wants address.

"Chris? As in Chris Keller?" Lucas asked confused.

"Yes. The same obnoxious Chris Keller. He's in Tree Hill."

"Oh. What does he want this time?" Lucas asked concerned. He knew how things went last time he was around.

"He wants us to work together again." She said. Lucas stared at her face looking for any sign of emotional reaction from her. "Nathan told me that I should." She defended after seeing Lucas' scrutinizing gaze.

"Hales. You know I love you right?" Haley nodded in response. "But I'm worried that this may lead you down a path you may regret later on like last time. Especially with how tensed things are between you and Nathan lately, this may turn out to be a bad idea." He said softly. While he doesn't want to intrude in his friend's dream, he also doesn't want to see her make the wrong choice again because of the emotional turmoil she's going through lately.

"It won't be like the last time. I won't be keeping things from Nathan. And it's just music." She said confidently.

"It started off that way last time too. And then you end up having feelings for Chris especially when things are not right with Nathan. And whether you want to acknowledge it or not, Chris Keller has feelings for you. He will do everything he can to win you when you're vulnerable." Lucas voiced his concern.

"It's not like that this time. Maybe I was overwhelmed last year. But now that I had lived through my mistake and facing the consequences, I know how I feel. I love Nathan with all my heart and whether Chris has any feelings for me or not wouldn't matter to me. Not the slightest."

"Ok. As long as you know what you're doing. I will stand by your decision as always. But don't give up on Nathan and your marriage." Lucas said. He was still unsure if Haley was doing the right thing but he has to let her make her decision. Atleast this time around, he will be around to look after her.

"Brooke came up with an idea today to help me get closer to Nathan." She told him changing the subject. She has plenty to cover and she feels that while Lucas has his doubts, she has none when it comes to working with Chris after her talk with Lucas and voicing out her conviction. It will be strictly business and since Nathan knows and even encouraged it, she has to do it. It will also prove him that Chris has nothing to do with how she feels.

"What grand idea did she have this time?" Lucas asked chuckling. Brooke's ideas tend to be sneaky but it works out mostly.

"Well, she said that Rachel had joined the cheerleading squad." Lucas gave her an unbelievable stare. She nods to confirm it was true and continued. "She suggested that I should also join the squad so that I can be around Nathan at the games." Lucas started to laugh and she gave him a smack in his arm to stop him from laughing at her. "Stop it." She chided at him when he continued laughing.

"You… a cheerleader. Now that's funny." He said trying to control his laughter.

"What? I did it last year. Ofcourse I am still a clutz but with practice, I can be one." She said trying to convince herself.

"Sure. You can." He said still smiling. She gave him a shrug as if she's just thinking about it. "It's not about the cheerleading but just being around Nathan so that we can talk to one another more often. Lately we only get the chance when I'm tutoring him or we run into one another randomly at school." She said sadly. Lucas became serious when he noticed Haley feeling down about her situation.

"I understand Hales. I'm sure you'll do great and Brooke will be happy to have you in her team. And Nathan will come around. Just give him time." He said comforting her.

"I'm not sure. He may be moving on from me." She said voicing her painful concern of all her problems.

"He's not. Trust me. We may not be talking to one another but I can tell you that he's in love with you as always."

"I didn't tell you something last night." She said softly. Lucas gave her an enquiring look. She took a deep breath before proceeding. "Last night… I saw Nathan at the party kissing Rachel." She told him.

"What? I don't believe it." Lucas said. He cannot believe Nathan would do such a thing. No matter how badly things are between them now, the Nathan he got to know last year after he came back was not capable of such an act.

"Nathan denies it too. But I was there Luke. I saw them making out in the dance floor." She said.

"Are you sure it's him? Nathan wouldn't lie like that Hales. You know him. He may close up emotionally he wouldn't lie to you like that." Lucas told her. He was pretty sure there must be some misunderstanding.

"Are you saying I'm lying or I didn't see it with my eyes?" Haley asked incredulously. She can't believe her best friend is telling her she was wrong and his half-brother is right.

"I'm not saying that." Lucas denied immediately. "I'm just saying that maybe things aren't how they appeared. Don't jump to conclusions without having all the facts." He said hoping it would appease her.

"I don't know what to do. I don't know if I can bear it if it was true. Part of me hopes that he is telling the truth and I was just imagining things. But another part of me is telling me that I'm just hoping for something that doesn't exist anymore." She said visibly upset.

"Have faith Hales. Fight for what you want. Don't let anyone or anything get you down. Join the cheerleading squad, talk to Nathan. Do what you have to but don't let it go without a fight. I still believe that you two will get back together." He said confidently.

"You think so?" Haley whispered with little hope. "I know so." He confirmed. "Come here." He invited her into his embrace and she hugged him tightly hoping what he says will become true. Talking to Lucas had been a great help and allowed Haley to come to decisions on the choices she had.

* * *

After hanging out with Lucas and making her decisions, Haley called Brooke to tell her that she will join the squad. Brooke was ecstatic that her plan worked and told Haley that she had already left her costume in their room. Haley went home and changed to get ready for the opening ceremony of the Basketball season for the year.

She was nervous when she walked into the dressing room where the rest of the cheerleaders were getting ready.

"What is she doing here?" Rachel asked loudly as soon as she noticed Haley.

"I invited her." Brooke announced to Rachel and others. "She's joining the squad." She told and gave Haley a wide welcoming smile.

"Hi!" Haley waves nervously at everyone.

"Nice outfit." Rachel mocked her. Then she turned her attention to Brooke. "She can't join the squad. The routine won't work with an extra person." She argued.

"Sure it will. Right girls?" Brooke asked the rest of the squad. The other girls were nervous to speak out and endure the wrath of Brooke the Cheernazi. So they remained silent. "Right?" Brooke asked again but this time threateningly. Almost immediately, all the girls nodded and yelled "Right".

"See. Problem solved. Besides, I'm the team leader here and I make the rules. And I say she's in." Brooke told Rachel as if that's the end of the discussion. She then started to get ready to leave the locker. The rest of the girls welcomed Haley with their own greeting. Peyton remained impassive and didn't bother welcoming Haley.

"What are you doing here? Do you really think your pathetic attempt at joining the cheerleaders is going to make Nathan notice you?" Rachel asked angrily when she was near Haley and out of the earshot of the other girls except for Brooke who was standing close to Haley protectively.

"Listen bitch!" Haley said turning around towards Rachel to address her. "You may think you have your claws on Nathan, but I can guarantee you that I will not give up on us without a fight. And he knows that." She said harshly hoping her voice didn't show any doubt.

"Why would he want to go for you when he has a better choice in front of him? A sexy good looking girl who can show him a good time or a cheating two timing whore with a big head and a fat ass?" Rachel mocked at Haley. Haley almost leaped at Rachel but Brooke noticing it immediately held her back.

"I'm warning you now. Stay away from him." Haley said threateningly.

"That's not what he said yesterday." Rachel said and walked to the court while Haley was standing there in the strong hold of Brooke seething. If Brooke didn't hold her back, Haley would have attacked Rachel for sure.

* * *

In the other side of the court, the guys were getting ready to enter the court. They were standing in a lineup with Nathan at the front wearing the captain patch in his jersey. Lucas was standing behind him.

"What are you doing to Haley man?" Lucas asked unable to keep himself silent. Nathan looked back at him coldly showing he's still not talking to Lucas. But Lucas couldn't keep silent.

"She loves you and you keep hurting her for what she did. Stop messing with her head and start working things out with your wife. Instead of going behind her back and making out with others."

"Ok. You need to back the hell off right now." Nathan said turning and facing Lucas and taking a step forward threateningly. He has been dealing with Haley making accusations at him and now it seems Lucas is doing the same too. He was getting tired of it.

"Stop being a manipulative bastard trying to push Haley at Chris so you can make your move on Rachel." Lucas said not backing up. He was tired of Nathan treating Haley badly.

"Don't push me bitch!" Nathan warned.

"Why? Is that an order Captain?" Lucas responded. He knew what would push Nathan over the edge. He was close to breaking and Lucas was unable to stop breaking his emotional barrier. "You know… I used to wonder why Haley left you last year. But now I get it. She didn't want to be with a manipulative husband like you. You turned out to be just like Dan." He said.

That was the last swing that broke Nathan's wall. He couldn't control himself anymore and he took hold of Lucas by his jersey and swung hard with his right. It connected hard on Lucas' face knocking him back. Lucas recovered and took a swing at Nathan. They both started fighting and the rest of the team got involved into a scrum pushing everyone out of the door into the court.

* * *

The cheerleading squad was surprised at the rumble that just came out of the boy's entrance onto the court. Everyone was either fighting or trying to separate one another. At the centre was Nathan and Lucas swinging at each other like Ali and Forman.

"What's going on?" Brooke asked no one confused. Everyone was staring at the rumbling team.

"Maybe Nathan found out that two timing former wife is banging Lucas. Seeking comfort from the other Scott lately?" Rachel mocked. Haley saw red and since Brooke wasn't close enough, she rushed at Rachel full force knocking her down. Haley swung hard at Rachel who was dazed from being knocked off her feet. Haley connected a few times before Rachel pushed her off and Brooke and Peyton held Haley by her arms.

"You just bought yourself a nose job." Rachel said and swung at Haley who couldn't defend herself since she was still in Brooke and Peyton's hands. It connected and knocked back her head. Brooke let go of Haley and hit Rachel in retaliation. Then everyone started getting involved in the cheerleading squad as well. Rachel and some other cheerleader she had befriended were taking on Haley and Brooke. They were punching, pulling each other's hairs and clawing at one another. Peyton was trying to break up Brooke and the other cheerleader while Whitey was trying to do the same with the Scott brothers.

* * *

Nathan and Lucas were at Whitey's office icing their injuries. Lucas was nursing his swollen jaw, Nathan was icing his fists. Whitey was walking in front of them steaming angrily.

"Never…" Whitey said loudly shaking Nathan and Lucas from their silence. "in my career have I been so embarrassed by my players." He scolded both. He then stepped in front of Nathan looking down at him.

"What the hell was I telling about earlier? Why should I even bother lecturing you about team unity when you can't even be united with your brother?" He scolded.

Nathan looked at Whitey ashamed for his behaviour. "I'm sorry coach, I lost my temper. There's no excuse and I won't let it happen again."

"And you." Whitey said turning towards Lucas. Lucas looked at Whitey nervously. "What were you doing taking a swing at your brother in front of the entire crowd?"

Lucas also seem ashamed and looked down. "I'm sorry coach."

"I ought to strip you off your captaincy and bench both of you for the rest of the season." Whitey proclaimed. Both of them looked up at him in alarm.

"But I'm not going to do that." Whitey said and sat down in his chair and pulled something out of his drawer. He threw it at Lucas who caught it clumsily.

"Coach?" He asked confused.

"I'm making you co-captain instead." Nathan looked upset but unable to say anything just sighed. Lucas still looked confused.

"Neither of you deserve to be captain. But this is our last season and you two are either going to work together or tear the team apart. You decide." With that, Whitey left his office angrily. Lucas looked at Nathan who was purposely avoiding eye contact. Lucas clutched onto the patch tightly.

* * *

**A/N:** I would like to hear your thoughts through reviews on current story progress. Would like to know if anyone feels uncomfortable with anything in the story. Next few chapters have some exciting stuff happening. Looking forward to hearing your feedback on them.

Now got a question to you readers. If you were to play the role of Brooke from Season 1 in Season 3 Naley relationship, what would your serial date mystery cards will be? What would you set them up for to reconnect them? I have my own list of ideas. Want to see if anyone has better which I can incorporate into the story. So write your review and give your suggestion.


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